Photography
Associate of Science
Division: Humanities
Division Chair: Stephen Burke, sburke@sunyrockland.edu
Department Chair: Eileen MacAvery Kane, emacaver@sunyrockland.edu
Department Support Staff: Amy Frank, afrank@sunyrockland.edu
Educational Support Staff: Lili Grady, lgrady@sunyrockland.edu, Lena Hyun, lhyun@sunyrockland.edu
Department Office: Cultural Arts Center, Room 7111, Phone: 845-574-4268
Why Study Photography?
Photographic images offer profound communication and can provoke great emotional response. They can capture and share an artist’s vision of authentic testament or artful imagery. The applications for training in photography are almost unlimited. These range from carefully calibrated slick commercial sessions that market the latest fashions, to grainy realities quickly captured to document events as photojournalism. Photographs capture iconic moments and become beloved keepsakes of fleeting moments like a newborn’s first smile or a beautiful sunset. This comprehensive AS in Photography prepares students to pursue a bachelor’s degree and provides a broad foundation in art, design and photographic technique.
Related disciplines include Art and Graphic Design.
Degrees Offered:
Occupational Objectives:
The U.S. Department of Labor reports a projected 13 percent increase in employment opportunities for photographers from 2010 to 2020. Graduates of this program are prepared to pursue a bachelor’s degree or they may find entry positions in fashion or product photography, fine art, photojournalism, architectural or other related areas such as forensic and scientific photography.
5 Top Reasons
To Study Photography at RCC:
- VALUE: Affordable tuition, financial aid, scholarships. Loaner cameras and most equipment and developing supplies are provided free.
- FLEXIBILITY: Part-time study. Weekend, night and online courses. Onsite childcare.
- SUPPORT: Small class sizes provide individual attention (many art courses limited to 14). Plenty of supervised open lab hours for photo development.
- TRANSFER: Equivalent to the first two years of most Fine Arts bachelor’s degrees. This degree meets the core requirements for several four-year degrees.
- FACULTY: Learn from instructors with the rare combination of practical work experience in the field and advanced academic degrees.
Opportunities at Rockland Community College:
RCC art students prepare a portfolio of their best work for admissions to major art schools and other institutions of higher education. High-achieving students may continue their studies at institutions like the School of Visual Arts, FIT and Hunter, as well as SUNY schools such as New Paltz and Purchase. There are travel courses for credit like Art in Paris and Art in London. Students with a 3.0 GPA or higher can study at Cambridge University.
There are more than 40 student clubs to choose from, including Art, Photography, Video Game & Animé. Club events include field trips to NYC museums and galleries and guest artists. There are award-winning student publications like Outlook newspaper, and Impulse, the annual publication to highlight original student art and writing.
Program Goals:
This degree provides the knowledge and skills to help talented and motivated photographers toward a future that best utilizes their abilities and fulfill their passions. Students are exposed to a variety of digital and traditional photographic processes and assisted in building a creative and cohesive portfolio to facilitate transfer and employment.
Program Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Understand the terminology and use of technical materials as it relates to photography
- Develop and expand their personal creative voice and pre-visualization and conceptualization skills
- Demonstrate knowledge of computers, software and digital imaging skills
- Demonstrate the ability to operate analog and digital cameras and other photographic equipment